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Chet Baker / The Bradley Young Trio: Chet In Chicago
ByThe calmness of his trumpet, initially moody and dark, opens the set with a lengthy, soulful solo on "Old Devil Moon." When pianist Bradley Jones joins him, he and the trio spin into something more up-tempo and Baker's sparseness takes on an easy, flowing inventiveness. It is a set dominated by up-tempo tunes, on three of which Ed Peterson's tenor sax is challenging company for Baker. Their pairing on "Ornithology" is interactive and spirited, reminding the listener that for a brief time in the '50s Baker played on the West Coast with Bird.
The only vocal is "My Funny Valentine," a signature Baker song that hearkens back to his earliest success as a young pioneering prince of 'cool jazz.' As a member of Gerry Mulligan's famously piano-less quartet, Baker's style was spare, precise and somehow both detached and intense. Throughout his career some preferred his trumpet, others his vocalizing and still others dismissed him altogether as jazz poseur not to be taken seriously. As heard here it's clear that Baker (despite the often evident effects of a lifelong heroin habit, which sometimes found him nodding out during a set) was continuing to play compellingly what flowed from somewhere deep within.
This is a fitting last "Valentine" for it is quintessential Baker. Containing more gravel than in the past, his voice verges on hushed at times, around which he wraps a still piercing horn. The delivery of each is singular. He imbues it all with a unique and mysterious cool, of which he was the sole possessor.
Track Listing
Old Devil Moon; It's You Or No One; We'll Be Together Again; Ornithology; Crazy Rhythm; My Funny Valentine; Sippin' At Bells; Solar.
Personnel
Chet Baker
trumpet and vocalsChet Baker: trumpet and vocal; Bradley Young: piano; Larry Gray: bass; Rusty Jones: drums; Ed Petersen: tenor saxophone.
Album information
Title: Chet In Chicago | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Enja Records
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